Innovation is the deliberate creation and application of change that produces sustained value. It involves introducing new or improved ways of working, delivering, or deciding that materially alter outcomes. Innovation is not limited to new technology. It can occur in:
- Processes
- Organisational structures
- Business models
- Decision-making practices
The defining feature is impact, not novelty. Innovation is Change Management that improves outcomes. It is effective when it is:
- Problem-led
- Incremental and testable
- Feedback-driven
- Aligned with incentives
- Embedded into everyday work
Innovation as change
Innovation is a specific form of change:
- Change introduces difference
- Innovation introduces difference that improves performance or capability
Effective innovation therefore requires managing both the technical and human aspects of change.
Common failure modes
- Treating innovation as ideation rather than execution
- Optimising novelty over usefulness
- Scaling before evidence of value
- Isolating innovation from operational teams
How innovation can be done effectively
Clear problem framing
Innovation begins with a well-defined problem grounded in real constraints. Poorly framed problems lead to solutions that are impressive but unused. Effective framing:
- Specifies the decision or outcome to be improved
- Identifies current bottlenecks
- Makes trade-offs explicit
Small, testable interventions
Innovation progresses through controlled experiments rather than large commitments. This reduces risk and increases learning speed. Effective practice:
- Start with minimal viable changes
- Test in realistic conditions
- Measure outcomes against a baseline
Feedback-driven iteration
Innovation improves through continuous feedback from use, not from design reviews. Iteration converts change into improvement. Key mechanisms:
- Quantitative performance metrics
- Qualitative user feedback
- Operational signals from deployment
Alignment with incentives and constraints
Innovation fails when it conflicts with how people are measured or rewarded. Effective innovation:
- Fits existing accountability structures or reshapes them deliberately
- Respects regulatory, operational, and capacity constraints
- Reduces local workload rather than increasing it
Integration into normal work
Innovation only persists when it becomes part of routine operations. Indicators of effective integration:
- Ownership is transferred to operational teams
- Processes are documented and repeatable
- Success is measured through ongoing performance, not one-off delivery